1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to refractory kiln furniture for firing ceramic sanitary ware in a kiln and particularly to a hollow stable setter for supporting and firing a rimless or self-rimming lavatory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, rimless ceramic lavatories of various shape were fired by supporting them on a solid refractory plate having an opening therein of the desired configuration adapted to receive the bowl portion of the lavatory and supported in a raised portion by refractory members.
Others have been supported in a raised position by resting the rim on the upper surface of a number of blocks arranged around the bowl portion of the rimless lavatory.
However, in addition to having a short life span, those prior art means were not entirely satisfactory as the under mounting surface of the rim portion became irregular and did not remain continuously in a single horizontal plane during firing due to the fact that the solid support plate warped and the support blocks around the bowl did not engage the entire undersurface.
Thus, the uneven rough undersurface of the rimless lavatory often needed to be ground straight and flat before it was suitable for mounting on a counter top.
The hollow thin walled low weight setter of the instant invention has solved the above problems due to the fact that it is much more dependable and stable, and can be molded or slip cast and fired to provide smooth support engaging surfaces of precise size and shape. Thus, the smooth support surfaces allow free downward movement, provides and maintains a continuous under mounting surface of the lavatory rim in a single plane during firing and shrinkage of the rimless lavatory in a kiln. It also has longer life, requires fewer supports and hence, increases the available room and capacity of the kiln car.